BRYANT LOOKS FOR SIXTH-STRAIGHT WIN SATURDAY ON ROAD AT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT (3:30 P.M.)
FULL GAME NOTES
Watch: NECfrontrow.com
Listen: WOON 1240AM l bryantbulldogs.com
Live Stats: ccsubluedevils.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday
THE PARTICULARS
The Bulldogs are back on the road and will go for their 11th win in the last 13 games and their sixth win a row Saturday against Central Connecticut in New Britain, Conn. (3:30 p.m.).
THE SERIES
Saturday's game marks the 21st matchup between the Bulldogs and the Blue Devils, dating back to the 1973-74 season when CCSU kicked off the series with an 89-87 win at home. Central Connecticut currently holds a 13-7 advantage in the all-time series after sweeping the Bulldogs in a pair of contests last season. Of the teams' 20 previous matchups, 14 have come at the Division II level (from the 1973-74 season through the 1987-88 campaign), and the Bulldogs are just 1-6 against CCSU in seven Division I meetings. Bryant is 3-7 all-time against the Blue Devils at Derick Gym, and have yet to beat Central Connecticut on its home court in the DI era.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Kyle Vinales leads Central Connecticut, averaging 21.4 points per game on the season and 24 across the Blue Devils' 2-1 start to NEC action. Matt Hunter (18.4 ppg) and Adonis Burbage (10.3) also average double figures while Hunter paces the team on the glass with 7.8 rebounds per outing. Since starting conference play, though, Brandon Peel has been dominating on the boards, averaging 12 per game with 7.7 points per outing over the last three contests. As a team, the Blue Devils average 73 points per game and shoot 42.1 percent from the floor with a .338 clip from beyond the arc. CCSU is 6-8 overall and 2-2 at home in 2012-13.
BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 3-0 against the Northeast Conference in 2012-13 with an 18-53 record against current league members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current NEC members, the Bulldog basketball program is 46-107 (.301), having most frequently faced off against former Northeast-10 Conference (DII) member Quinnipiac (18-42).
RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
The Bulldogs set a number of Division I and all-time marks in their 103-95 victory over Quinnipiac Thursday night. There were also a number of individual milestones achieved. Below are some of the top highlights of arguably Bryant's best game at the Chace Athletic Center in the Division I era.
» Welcome to the Club: Fifth-year senior point guard Frankie Dobbs needed just five points to become the 34th and newest member of Bryant's 1,000-point club. Instead, Dobbs went off for a game-high 24, smashing through the 1,000-career point barrier to become the second Bulldog to join the elite club this season (Alex Francis on Nov. 17) and the second 1,000-point scorer of the Division I era. All but 60 of those points have been scored as a Bulldog after transferring from Ohio University following his 2008-09 rookie season. The last time the Bulldogs had two 1,000-point scorers playing on the same team was during the 2004-05 season (John Williams and Mike Williams).
» Start Counting: With 6:01 to go in the game, the Bulldogs broke their previous Division I record for points in a single game (85 vs. Central Connecticut on Feb. 12, 2011). With 4:06 left, they scored 90 points for the first time since joining the Division I ranks. But Bryant wasn't done there, topping the 100-point mark for the first time in the DI era by game's end. It was the first time a Bulldog team hit the 100-point mark in a game since December of 2005 — when the team surpassed the mark in back-to-back games (102 vs. Bloomfield Dec. 28 and 111 vs. Holy Family Dec. 29).
» Ten-tastic: The victory was the 10th of the season for the Black and Gold, setting a new Division I record for wins in a season (previously nine in 2010-11).
» We're Going Streaking: The 103-95 topping of the Bobcats extended Bryant's current winning streak to five-straight games, the team's most consecutive victories at the DI level. The Bulldogs have now won 10 of their last 12.
» Handouts: Led by a season-best eight from junior Corey Maynard, the Bulldogs dished out a Division I-best 24 assists against the Bobcats.
» Milestone Memories: The victory marked the 150th for Tim O'Shea as a head coach.
» 61*: There's no asterisk on this 61. The Bulldogs set the season mark for points in a half against the Bobcats, going 19-of-30 (63.3 percent) from the field, 7-of-10 (70 percent) from beyond the arc and 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from the charity stripe en route to a 61-point second frame Thursday night. It was the fourth time this season the team has surpassed 50 points in a half.
» Home Sweet Home: The win was Bryant's first victory at home over Quinnipiac in the Division I series (four games).
» They're On Fire: Bryant's 60.7 percent shooting clip from the floor in Thursday's contest was good for the best single-game field goal percentage in its Division I history and also tied for the fifth-best mark in the program record books. The team's 63.2 conversion rate from 3-point land not only set the new DI high, but the all-time single-game program mark in the category.
QUICK HITS
» Movin' On Up: The Bulldogs climb four spots and are now ranked No. 21 in this week's College Insider Mid-Major Top 25. This is the second-straight week Bryant has appeared on the prestigious list after cracking the top 25 for the first time program history on Dec. 31. Bryant is the only NEC team to appear in the poll.
» Tremendous Turnaround: Bryant is among the most improved teams in the nation in 2012-13, already boasting eight more wins than it had a season ago.
» Bulldogs off to best start yet: The Bulldogs' 3-0 record against the Northeast Conference marks the program's best league start since the team began playing a full conference schedule beginning with the 2009-10 season. Bryant's 84-77 win over Robert Morris on the road Jan. 3 was also the team's first victory in an NEC opener.
» High Five: All five Bulldog starters put up double-digit points Thursday night against Quinnipiac, marking just the second time this season five players have finished with 10 or more points in the same game.
» The Big Three: Sophomore Dyami Starks (22.3 ppg in NEC play), junior Alex Francis (18.3 ppg) and senior Frankie Dobbs (20.3 ppg) have combined for 183 of the team's 265 points in conference play (69.1 percent). On the year, the trio is responsible for 66.6 percent of the team's total scoring — 663 of its 996 points in all.
50/50
For the fifth time this season, the Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent from the floor Thursday night against Quinnipiac. The team's 60.7 percent clip was the highest not just of the season, but in the Division I era. The Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent in both halves for the fourth time in 2012-13, as well. Bryant has also converted better than 50 percent from 3-point range three times this season, including twice in its last three games. Against Robert Morris Jan. 3, the Bulldogs finished the game at a 52 percent clip (13-25) and then posted the best 3-point mark in program history Thusrday against Quinnipiac at 63.2 percent (12-19). The first came at home against Binghamton Dec. 8, when the Black and Gold converted 12-of-23 from downtown (52.2 percent).
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
Bryant has recorded new season-high point totals in four of the last five games, including in three-straight outings from Dec. 22 through Jan. 3. The Bulldogs scored 79 at home against Dartmouth on Dec. 22, topped it a week later with 80 at Lehigh Dec. 29, then upped it again with 84 points at Robert Morris Jan. 3. After a 78-point performance against Saint Francis U. Jan. 5, Bryant returned to the court Thursday to post a DI-best 103 points, setting a new season high that should have some staying power.
TWENTY SOMETHINGS
Two Bulldogs have recorded 20 points or more in three of the last four games, including in Thursday night's win over Quinnipiac (24 from senior Frankie Dobbs, 20 from sophomore Dyami Starks). Starks and Dobbs also doubled up for 29 and 26 points, respectively, Jan. 3 at Robert Morris, while junior Alex Francis (21) and Starks (20) teamed up for the feat Dec. 29 at Lehigh. Starks now has seven 20-point games this season, followed by three from Francis and two from Dobbs.
DYNAMIC DOBBS
After missing the first game of his career Dec. 10 at Navy, fifth-year senior captain and starting point guard Frankie Dobbs has been virtually unstoppable since his return five games ago. He is averaging 19.4 points per game and shooting nearly 55 percent — also scoring the game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds to go on the road at mid-major powerhouse Lehigh — since his return to the lineup, and Dobbs has been getting some much deserved attention for his recent performances. He earned the first Northeast Conference Player of the Week accolade of his career to open the new year and was named the Lou Henson National Player of Week a day later, becoming the first Bulldog to ever received the countrywide recognition. This season, Dobbs is averaging 14.5 points and 4.2 assists per game while seeing 34 minutes of floor time per contest as the court general for the Black and Gold.
CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference have partnered with Pack Network to create NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts in 2012-13. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2012-13 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge broadcasts of all 15 Bulldog home men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard and state-of-the-art graphics. Visit www.necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.
BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the fifth-consecutive season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM. Veteran sportscaster Jon Wallach of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston returns to call the action as the voice of the Bulldogs, alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.
UP NEXT
Bryant returns home to host back-to-back Northeast Conference outings, welcoming Mount St. Mary's to the Chace Athletic Center Thursday, Jan. 17 (7 p.m.) and Wagner to Smithfield on Saturday, Jan. 19 (4 p.m.).
